Drunk and Stupid
by JustMeJustMeJustMe
Summary: Jac / Fletch set post The L Word.


This is for Mrs Connie Master! Thank you for the lovely reviews!

This is the last one for now. Going to have a little break!

Drunk and Disorderly Stupid

It's late, she's still in her office, procrastinating. She knows she has to go down to Albies for at least one drink but wants to put it off for as long as possible. Both Fletch and Petrenko had headed down there together at least thirty minutes ago. She knows she's stalling, but they will be expecting her to show her face at least for a short time and she really does want to see Ric. Everyone who isn't working the nightshift will be there.

She'd heard the news that the Coroner had ruled that Ric was not guilty of medical manslaughter. She was pleased for him, it meant he wouldn't have to spend another day in prison. The Coroner had though in her closing statement issued a summary judgement which did determine that Ric had some culpability. This would mean it was highly likely that the case would turn into a civil one rather than criminal. She was glad they had ruled in his favour. She knows that Ric will be struggling with the knowledge that his actions, however small or big had caused the loss of one his own patients. She's sure that is punishment enough. People often forget that doctors are human too. They make mistakes like everybody else, only their mistakes are likely to cause death if they go unnoticed. It's a big responsibility and the reason why she runs her ward so rigidly. It's a simple fact that mistakes in their profession costs lives. It is quite the burden though, and sometimes no matter what procedures or processes are in place to prevent them, mistakes still happen. It could happen to any one of them at any time. They are all likely to be responsible for at least one death if not more throughout their careers.

She decides she's stalled long enough, grabs her things and starts heading towards the lifts.

As she walks into Albies she's hit by a wall of noise, music, laugher and continuous chatter.

Her eyes land on Fletch, he is with Essie over to the right side of the bar in a corner. She can always find him almost instantly, even in a crowded room. His eyes are already on her and she thinks the same must be true for him. He tilts his head at her slightly and gives her an endearing smile. She's pleased that at least one person in the room is glad to see her.

She spots Ric off to her left and heads towards him. He'd spotted her entrance and is waiting for her to reach him. When she does she reaches out and squeezes his arm. He places his hand over hers a gesture showing his thanks to her for coming to the sort of, but not quite celebration. She's known Ric a long time. Holby just wouldn't be Holby without him. A few moments later she lets her hand fall away.

"So, how does it feel to be a free man again?" She asks him.

"I was beginning to think this day wouldn't come." He replies looking solemn.

"Let me buy you a drink, you look like you could use it."

They head to the bar and she orders a glass of wine, turns to Ric and lets him tell the bartender what he wants. He orders some sort of beer a brand she doesn't recognize. She removes her coat and places it on the empty stool just to her right between her and Ric.

"When can we expect you back?" She asks him while waiting for the bartender to prepare their drinks.

"Soon. Maybe." He tells her.

The bartender places the drinks on the bar in front of each of them and she hands him her card.

She feels a hand land very low on her back so low it's down past her waistband. She's sure she can feel a thumb stroke or two through the thin layer of clothes she is wearing.

"Nice of you to join us." It's Fletch. The hand is gone and he doesn't stop just keeps walking past her obviously heading towards the little boys room.

She shakes her head and turns her attention back to Ric.

"Holby will still be here waiting whenever you're ready to come back." She tells him and smiles at him sympathetically. She understands if he feels the need to get as far away from this hospital as possible, especially considering what he had been through. She'd had the same feeling herself not to long ago. The bartender reappears and hands her back her card. He'd obviously billed the drinks contactless and doesn't need a pin or signature from her. She mumbles a quick thanks in his direction.

"I think I might like to take a bit of time off at least. Spend some time with my granddaughter." He elaborates.

"Sounds like a good idea." She replies.

She feels fingers land gently on her left arm and trail all the way down to her wrist. The touch is light as a feather and it makes her break out in goosebumps. She looks up and sees Fletch walking past her again. She knows it was him. He is making his way through the bar back over to Essie. She begins to wonder what he is doing, wonders if she'd imagined it, but before she has a chance to think about it Ric is talking again.

"Thanks for coming. I know you aren't a fan of these types of things."

"I wouldn't have missed it." She tells him honestly takes a breath and continues. "I'm just glad things worked out as best as they could given the circumstances."

He smiles but it doesn't quite reach his eyes and she knows it's going to take him some time to put this behind him and it isn't even over yet as a possible civil suit is still looming.

Sascha appears behind her announcing his presence by grasping her by the shoulders. She doesn't need to turn around to know who it is but she does anyway and smiles broadly at him.

"Do you mind giving me a minute with my dear old friend Mr Griffin?" He asks her.

"Less of the old please." Ric pipes in.

She nods at Sacha and throws a smile at Ric before picking up her coat and now half consumed glass of wine and wonders across the bar.

She walks over to where Essie and Fletch are standing and he turns slightly, automatically making room for her to join them. As she moves into the space she feels the back of Fletch's hand practically stroking the back of hers. She doesn't look down knowing that it would only draw others attention to it. Instead she ignores it and decides she must have stood too close to him when she'd joined and that the contact was accidental. She tucks her coat under her other arm the one not holding her wine, the action giving her the opportunity to put a little bit of distance between them discretely.

"Did you hear about Evie's new boyfriend? Essie asks her.

She nods.

"He's really not that bad." Fletch offers.

"But it's still driving you nuts." She says laughing lightly.

"Playing security guard at home is what's driving me nuts. Making sure they aren't alone in her bedroom together is a full time job you know." He practically scowls.

She and Essie both laugh. He turns his head towards her.

"You just wait. When it's your turn in a few years, I'm going to remember to enjoy it just as much as you are." He tells her with a smirk.

She knows he is right, but at the moment she doesn't care, she's got a few years to think up and implement a plan and so she smirks right back at him. Essie is still laughing at their exchange clearly enjoying the banter.

Laughter breaks out across the bar and all three of them turn around to find out where It had come from. It was Sacha, Dom and Lofty causing a ruckus as usual. She raises her eyebrows in amusement but turns back to her two companions. Essie is still looking fondly across the bar clearly amused. She looks at Fletch to find his eyes are already on hers and he steps slightly towards her clearly taking advantage of the fact that everyone else is distracted by what's going on behind her. He moves his mouth toward her ear and she can feel his breath tickling her skin. His hand moves to her side over her ribs and she can feel his fingers graze the underside of her breast. She visibly shivers at the contact and she knows he can see the affect he is having on her. The shiver was so powerful she's sure he must have felt it too. Her face flushes slightly and her mouth feels dry.

"Want another drink?" He whispers into her ear.

She looks down at her wine glass and notices it's almost empty. She nods dumbly as a response. She's about to look up but he quickly moves away just as Essie is turning back around to face them still laughing at whatever had taken place on the other side of the bar.

"Same again?" He asks Essie.

"Of course! One more for the road." She replies.

"Better make it a large one then." He smiles before walking off towards the bar.

A table frees up right next to them and Essie gestures to her to move there so they can finally sit down. She throws her coat over one of the chairs but walks to the other side of the table to sit on the bench. Essie sits down directly opposite her. Fletch returns with the new drinks, sets them down and moves around the table to join her on the bench. He sits down next to her far closer than what is needed. So close his knee is pressing into the side of her leg. He doesn't move away even when she throws daggers at him with her eyes. Deciding ignoring him is the best way forward she turns to Essie.

"How's things going with Gaskell?"

"Don't ask. I think the shine might have finally worn off a bit." Essie explains.

"Oh, that bad then?" She asks.

"After what happened recently, I'm not so sure I want to continue working with him." Essie sighs but continues. "I'll give you the lowdown some other time, when we aren't in a crowded bar."

"Sure." She makes a mental note to follow up with Essie on that, curiosity taking over.

Thirty minutes later and she's heading back from the bar with another round of drinks. Takes her seat back on the bench. Just as she sits down she can feel his hand graze the side of her thigh under the table and she turns her head to look at him searching for an explanation. He is already looking at her though when her eyes land on his but his expression is one of complete innocence. He smiles at her softly then turns his attention back to Essie who is relaying almost comically the woes of her day. She's feeling wound tighter than a spring, one though that could unravel at any given moment if he keeps on. She doesn't know what he is playing at or whether he is doing it intentionally, she's almost certain he is. She feels his hand brush her knee and she's determined to completely ignore the action this time even though the sensation is causing a small bonfire to ignite inside her.

Obviously not satisfied with her response his hand lands on her thigh more than half way up and he squeezes it gently. She's flabbergasted at his boldness tonight and can't help but wonder what's brought on this sudden change. Decides it must be the beer, but then realises he couldn't have had more than one before she got here which would mean he is only just starting on his third, besides he'd been covertly touching her practically since she'd arrived.

Essie is looking directly at her and she knows she's missed a question but she'd not heard a single word she'd said. He is almost smirking at her now, and she knows for sure he is all too entirely aware of what he is doing to her.

Fletch answers for her obviously aware that he had been the cause of her distraction.

"Freida is great, kooky, just how we like them. A really good surgeon too though. She was here earlier but I haven't seen her in a while."

She's grateful and annoyed simultaneously.

Essie looks at her obviously waiting for her to add some thoughts.

"She's a very capable surgeon. I understand why Elliot chose to work with her. I understand why he wants us to work together. Her bedside manner does need some work though." She laughs.

"Pot, Kettle." Fletch says waggling his eyebrows at her.

She rolls her eyes and Essie is laughing again.

She excuses herself to go to the bathroom.

She's heading down the small corridor on her way back to the bar when she physically bumps into someone. They grab her by both arms to keep her upright. She'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't even seen them. She looks up to find Fletch standing very close to her. Still holding tightly on to her arms. She practically growls at him.

"You…." She starts, she wants to confront him but falters when he starts talking.

"You really need to pay more attention to where you're going." He tells her his tone is slightly chastising but she can see the smile in his eyes.

"Hmmm." She replies narrowing her eyes at him to let him know she is fully aware of what he is doing. Her response only seems to encourage him further and he gently shoves her back into the wall. His hands drop to her waist and his fingers work their way under the hem of her top to stroke the skin on her belly. She's stunned, physically she can't move a muscle. It feels like she's been hit by lightening. He moves his body into hers and his eyes are on her lips. He moves forward and she can feel his breath on her mouth. Her eyes close automatically and she's waiting to feel his lips touch hers. It doesn't happen though, instead she feels him move away from her, she opens her eyes and she watches him walk away towards the bathroom.

Now all she feels is frustration.

She heads out back to their table to rejoin Essie. A thought forms in her head as she sits down and she decides it's high time to turn the tables on him. She wants to give him a taste of his own medicine, primarily though she wants revenge and she won't be satisfied until he squirms.

She's ready to implement her plan by the time he returns to the table and retakes his seat next to her. She wants to wait for exactly the right moment to inflict the maximum amount of surprise.

Essie's asking him about the kids and she waits until he starts to respond, telling them openly about all the chaos the kids had been causing recently. He is mid-sentence when she moves her hand to the very top of his thigh, just millimetres from his crotch. The next word out of his mouth is practically a squeal.

She feigns surprise.

"Are you okay?" Both her and Essie ask at the same time.

He hadn't seen that coming and satisfaction rushes through her veins. She decides to keep her hand on his thigh for the time being.

He composes himself quickly and ignores their questioning looks instead he just picks up exactly where he left off. When Essie looks towards the door as Gaskell enters the pub he takes the opportunity to shoot her a warning glance. His eyes are darker than usual and his expression almost a plea for mercy. She can't help the smug smile that appears on her face. She has no intention of removing her hand.

Essie's attention is now back on Fletch and he is now telling them all the antics Mikey has been up to at school more recently. She hears the word detention a few times but she's only half listening, if that. She acknowledges to herself she quite likes the feeling of having her hand on him. Her fingers start to move a little bit in the same manner he had done to her earlier. She's watching his face closely for a reaction. Can see him tense a little which only makes her feel more bold. She digs her finger tips into him then strokes his leg lightly. It's obviously too much for him because his hand moves to clamp down over hers. He turns her hand over and pushes his fingers through hers to lock them together. She doesn't know how'd he managed to keep up the conversation at the same time.

Sometime later, she's noticing that Essie is now bordering on being quite tipsy and she can't help but smile slightly at her intoxicated features. Essie must have realised the same thing because a few seconds later shes putting her coat on despite the fact she still has half a glass of wine in front of her.

"Well, I think it's time for me to go. I really don't need a hangover tomorrow." She informs them both.

Fletch lets go of her hand the one he'd continued to hold despite it not really being necessary, the game had officially ended when she'd thrown him for a loop. He gets up moves around the table and they both fall without question into a comfortable close hug. She smiles at them, their obviously close friendship is easy going and they both are completely relaxed in the others presence. She continues to watch as Fletch whispers something in her ear and Essie laughs.

Essie pulls away from him, turns to her.

"Goodnight Jac." She smiles.

"Night." She gives Essie a genuinely warm smile in response. She had truly enjoyed her company tonight. She watches Essie walk towards the door.

Fletch sits back down. There's a prolonged silence and it's a little awkward.

"I should get going too." She tells him.

"I'll walk you out." He tells her almost shyly. She finds it endearing that he has suddenly lost his earlier confidence now that they are completely alone.

The bar has been almost empty for a while now a few remaining stragglers still occupying a few tables. Ric had left some time ago, along with Sacha and Gaskell. Dom and Lofty are no longer here and there's just a few faces she's recognises sitting at a few of the tables. No one she knows by name though.

She gets up and grabs her coat. Fletch does the same.

As soon as they are outside and the pub door closes behind them she turns around to face him. They both must be thinking the same thing because she has no idea who made the first move but his mouth is on hers, finally releasing some of the tension that had been building all evening. His hand is on the side of her face and she is pulling him towards her by his jacket so she can wrap her arms around his neck.

She knows this had been coming for a while.


End file.
